Thursday, August 3, 2017

Report: TV Antenna Sales Are Surging

A Wall Street Journal story entitled "Millennials Unearth an Amazing Hack to Get Free TV: the Antenna" says that young people are behind a surge in rabbit ears sales as they "discover" the decades-old technology.

Through a series of anecdotes, the article tells the tale of ingenue millennials who are shocked to learn that basic TV channels are free with the use of an antenna, according to sftgate.com.

"I was just kind of surprised that this is technology that exists," 28-year-old Dan Sisco told the WSJ.

"It's been awesome. It doesn't log out and it doesn't skip."

For cord-cutting youngsters, who rely on Netflix, Hulu and the like for their binging needs, there have even been some questions about the legality of rabbit ears.

"They don't trust me when I say that these are actually free local channels," a swap meet antenna seller named Carlos Villalobos told the Journal.

The antenna is mounting a quiet comeback, propelled by a generation that never knew life before cable television, and who primarily watch Netflix, Hulu and HBO via the internet. Sales of all antenna types in the U.S. are projected to rise 7% in 2017 to nearly8million units, according to the Consumer Technology Association, a trade group.

While some indoor antennas still look like old-fashioned rabbit ears, many modern antennas are thin sheets that can be hidden behind a flat TV or hung like a picture frame.

Almost a third of Americans (29%) are unaware local TV is available free, according to a June survey by the National Association of Broadcasters, an industry trade group. Most consumers have switched to cable television, which includes many more channels and costs upward of $100 a month.
Since the dawn of television, however, major networks have broadcast signals over the airwaves— and still do today. The service is free after buying an antenna, indoor or outdoor, and plugging it into your TV.

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